Egyptian fixed line operator, Telecom Egypt, now has a mobile license which was awarded to them by their government.
According to the telecommunications minister, the state-owned incumbent will pay EGP 2.5 billion ($358,562,500 million) to enter the mobile market. It will have one year to sell its almost 45 percent stake in Vodafone Egypt.
The country’s three existing mobile operators will also be allowed to enter the fixed market, using Telecom Egypt’s network, by acquiring a license for EGP 100 million. Helmy said the details of the unified license, for both mobile and fixed services, will be finished by 30 June, following consultations with the telecom companies.
Head of the telecoms regulator, Hesham El Alaily said: “Telecom Egypt will not receive any spectrum, but instead need to negotiate a MVNO agreement with an existing operator. It could acquire spectrum later, with an auction of frequencies for 4G services planned for June 2016.”
The new unified license requires a single payment plus an annual fee, but did not give any details on the annual fees.
